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Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2014 09:57:38 +0200
Message-ID: <CADcGo3gUrCeCS04AuqHS1+WDk72rYdcomJPFR41KUwqLzyj3hQ@mail.gmail.com>
To: Kris Craig <kris.craig@gmail.com>
Cc: PHP internals <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001a1132eccaa348e004fd597ac2
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] not_null function
From: mats.lindh@gmail.com (Mats Lindh)

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On Fri, Jul 4, 2014 at 9:43 AM, Kris Craig <kris.craig@gmail.com> wrote:

> What would be wrong with changing it from a function to a language
> construct like isset() and empty()?  If is_null() were the equivalent of
> !isset( $var ) || $var === NULL, it would make a hell of a lot more sense
> than what's there now.
>

So your suggestion is to make it _exactly_ like isset?

Remember that language constructs are, in general, a cludge. They appear to
be functions, but you can't use them in places where you'd use a function,
such as validation callbacks. If you make is_null a language construct,
validate($foo, 'is_null') would not work as people assume.

There is no utility gained from removing or changing is_null. It
complements the other is_* functions that check for a specific type, and
having more than one way to achieve something is not always a bad idea.

Let this one rest.

--mats

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